


Unknown

by rtaf



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Fake AH Crew, GTA AU, M/M, Multi, Romance, eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-05-23 23:32:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6133900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rtaf/pseuds/rtaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan has mastered the art of keeping his work and personal life separate, until things start falling apart. When the two blend together it's up to Ryan to fix things for himself and those around him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It’s loud, but only in the room two walls over. Vagabond stands deadly silent with his back to the door. If all goes well, this should be over in a matter of minutes. His head is pressed sideways against the smooth, high quality wooden door. He hears the door just before this one creak open and steps back. 

Three, two, one... his door opens. The room is dark and Vagabond blends in well, so well that when the door swings shut behind the man, he's invisible in the pitch black room. Vagabond’s swift with his movements, a hand over the mouth and a knife to the throat. Everything is well thought out and he knows precisely how he's going to carry things out.

That's the kind of killer he is; careful and immaculate. There's a very clear order of the way he's going to do things and Vagabond is the type to stick to plan. This is far from his first job, so his mind is focused and unworried.

He makes a clean cut and lets the body hit the floor, face up. A nice stab to the heart finalizes the first step and he bends over, cutting the ring finger off of the man’s right hand. Vagabond slides the jewelry off and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a plastic bag, and dropping the finger inside before sealing it shut and sliding it into his pocket. 

He'd been hired by an anonymous source to get rid of this guy, Trent Carson. The man was a well off businessman who'd stolen an expensive ring from his client. The person he'd spoken to had sent someone to pay him the day before, having trust in Vagabond to successfully carry out the task.

Surveying the body spilling blood on the floor he remembers there’s no need for clean up, as instructed by his client, who apparently wants the man’s body to be found as a warning for anyone else who tries to do the same. Vagabond doesn't have a problem with it, it's just less work and fortunately, due to his skill, he knows there won’t be traces to him. Taking his knife back, he fixes his appearance and walks out of the room, back through the party's main event.

 

A week has passed since that small job. Vagabond’s collected his earnings and is now sitting comfortably on an extra seventeen hundred dollars. Ryan sips his coffee and smiles when the seat across from him is filled. 

“Hey babe,” the man says, leaning over the table and meeting Ryan halfway for a kiss. Ryan can taste the sweetness of the pastry on the man’s lips, chuckling as he uses his thumb to wipe a crumb from his upper lip when they’ve pulled away.

“Hey,” he replies, flicking the flake away towards their feet before bringing his hands back up to rest on the table. He crosses them comfortably and nudges his cup toward the man, “want a sip?”

His partner nods and takes a generous gulp of the drink, tilting the cup up to get more. 

“Ray,” Ryan says in mock annoyance, though they both know he really doesn’t mind.

“Okay, okay,” Ray replies, raising the hand not currently occupied in surrender. He sets the cup down and his elbows rest on the table, head sitting in his hands, cutely.

“You busy later?” Ray asks after a short pause. 

Ryan thinks for a moment. “Nope, should be free today. What did you have in mind, babe?” He replies, watching Ray’s face brighten up slightly.

“Got that new game I've been talking about. It came in the mail this morning. Maybe I could come over tonight and we can play?

Ryan reaches for his coffee. Taking a sip and setting it back down before nodding, long and slow with a warm smile.

“I wouldn't be opposed,” he replies, teasingly. “You’ll have to let yourself in if I’m not home yet, but I’ll be there shortly after. Also, uh, is that the one with the unlimited grenades and co-op tank driving?”

Ray nods, “that’s the one. And I know you’re a pussy when it comes to violence so I’ll fix the gore in the settings.” He smirks at the little squirm Ryan does in his chair, pretending to imagine the gory details.

“Aw, how kind of you,” Ryan says with a smirk but still rolling his eyes at the comment.

He’s actually quite far from scared at the dead bodies and animated blood in Ray’s games, but he likes to keep the man thinking he is… just to be safe. It helps with keeping his other secret unbelievable.

 

Ryan sighs heavily when he realizes he's missed dinner with Ray at his own place because the mission had taken longer than expected. Not to mention the fact that he’s on the other side of town. He sits in his car, hitting the steering wheel angrily with one hand followed by a few nervous taps, while the other presses the button on the dashboard to call Ray. 

There’s no answer, _which is to be expected_ , Ryan figures. He’s been late for things and even completely forgot about meetings before with Ray. So, he knows from experience the man doesn’t take too kindly to being stood up. The drive back is uncomfortable, his stomach sitting uneasy the whole way. 

When he gets home he’s expecting to find his boyfriend on the couch, arms crossed and awaiting an explanation. However, when he does get inside he finds no one on the couch. He'd wonder if Ray were even there if he hadn't noticed his shoes at the door. He peeks into the kitchen and then his bedroom, where he sees Ray curled up in his bed alone and Ryan's heart aches. 

He checks the time and heads for a brisk shower, figuring he shouldn’t delay sleep any longer. Walking into the bathroom, he strips down. Stepping into the shower, he rubs the harsh smell of chemicals and dirt off of his body. 

He’s thankful for the strong scented brand of body wash that masks the smell and leaves him feeling clean. He takes the time to scrub and lather his greasy hair with coconut shampoo before quickly rinsing, and toweling himself off after stepping out.

He walks back to the bedroom, making sure all the lights in his place are off before pulling on a pair of boxers and slipping into bed behind Ray. He’s glad the man has an extra key to have let himself in but feels bad that he had to eat dinner alone, probably leaving a plate in the fridge for whenever Ryan got back.

“I’m still mad at you,” Ray grumbles, waking up momentarily at the feeling of Ryan’s weight on the bed. Despite his tone, he still shifts closer to his boyfriend under the sheets. He keeps his back to him, but allows Ryan to throw an arm over his stomach.

“I know. I’m really sorry,” Ryan apologizes, lying awake in silence until he feels Ray’s breathing steady. Only then does he let himself fall asleep. It's the least he can do.

 

Once they’re awake and Ray has returned from the bathroom, Ryan offers to makes things up to him by spending the day inside together. “Or you can go home if you want,” Ryan says, giving him the option to opt out. Luckily, Ray shakes his head, plopping himself back down onto Ryan’s bed with his arms crossed. 

Ryan apologizes to Ray no more than a handful of times. He knows Ray’s upset and most likely suspicious about his work reasons for being late. Well actually, it does qualify as work, just not the boring office job Ray thinks he has. He uses the working late excuse enough that it shouldn’t be doubtable, it should be ordinary enough to be believable, but something feels off.

The morning starts with Ryan's hands resting on his lap, thumbs twiddling mindlessly. They’re propped up against a few pillows and watching some cooking show on tv. It's quiet other than that for an hour or two, Ryan having been the only one to talk so far.

As the show comes to a close an hour later, Ray’s tucked himself into Ryan’s side and Ryan rests his arm around Ray's shoulders. Ray picks up the remote once more to flip through the channels, looking for something else to occupy their time. He presses the mute button as he scrolls, quickly reading each show title that's flying by.

The silence burns at Ryan’s heart and suddenly overcome with emotion he blurts out, “I love you.”

He looks over to gauge Ray’s reaction. The man doesn’t say anything right away, continuing to channel surf until he’s counted to five and shuts off the tv entirely. Ryan waits anxiously while Ray sets the remote down and turns sideways to face him, letting Ryan’s arm fall behind him.

“Do you?” Ray asks. It’s not a playful response like usual, or a return of the phrase.

Ryan frowns at the seriousness of his tone. “Yes. Do you want me to get down on one knee? ‘Cause I’ll do it.” 

At that, Ray’s lips quirk into the hint of a smile, but it’s gone in seconds as he lets out a sigh. “I love you too, Ry. I just… wish you’d be more honest with me. Or stop making promises you can’t keep.”

Ryan reaches out and gingerly takes one of Ray’s hands in his. “Ray…” he says, mulling over what to say, “why don’t you trust me?”

Ray sighs again, squeezing Ryan’s hand. “I do trust you, okay? I just… It’s not the first time this has happened and I was just like dumbly looking forward to hanging out with you last night. But whatever, it’s over now, we’re moving on.”

Ryan hangs his head for a minute, feeling like shit because he’s made Ray feel pushed off like this. “No, not moving on. I hurt your feelings, Ray, and you’re allowed to be mad at me. What can I do to make things better?”

Ray looks into Ryan’s eyes, searching for an inconsistency to show that he doesn’t mean what he’s said. Of course he finds none. He does believe Ryan, to some degree, and thinks about an answer to the question.

Ray sits up a bit, scooting over and sliding a knee over Ryan’s legs so he can sit on his thighs. He realizes Ryan’s waiting for him to make the next move, so he speaks instead of doing the same.

“Kiss me," he mutters, voice low but coherent. It’s an instruction of two short words for his boyfriend to prove what they both already know. Even though Ray can’t help but doubt it the tiniest bit.

Ryan’s face softens at that and looking him in the eyes, Ray nods slightly, urging him on. Ryan places one hand on Ray’s cheek, bringing him closer, and the other on Ray’s hip.

They close their eyes just before he presses their lips together and kisses him slowly. The kiss itself is short, their lips just brushing, but they linger afterwards. Ryan pulls away after a few seconds, and then catches Ray’s upper lip when the man takes in a breath. Ryan’s relieved at Ray’s eager response to the second kiss and uses his thumb to rub circles into the skin on the man’s stomach.

This time when they away, Ray pulls the other man into a hug and lets the silence finish the conversation, speaking words so they don’t have to. Ryan’s phone vibrates in his jeans pocket, across the room. He’s still down to his boxers so he misses the name flashing on screen as the call tries to connect.

**Geoffrey Ramsey**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to the site for crashing every time I posted this chapter in the past half an hour, ugh.

Michael yawns, rolling over in bed. He blinks a few times, feeling around for his phone by groping the empty space on the bed beside him. It’s not often that he wakes up alone after going to bed with his boyfriend, but when he checks his phone he realizes he’s slept in.

What was supposed to be a quick nap turned into a full fledged rest. His screen flashes brightly on his face, the light stinging his eyes so he turns it down to the darkest setting. 

_(3) new messages from Geoff  
(1) new message from Ray_

He opens Geoff’s texts first.

_Hey baby, you seemed tired and I had to go so I didn’t wanna wake you.._

_Also, left you something on the table. Hope you can walk over cause you seemed pretty tired out. ;) Text me when you get this and if you’re free tomorrow. I’ll let you know when I get off._

_Love ya._

Michael doesn’t bother checking his other messages yet, pulling up the keyboard and typing out a reply.

_Yeah i’m free after 5 since tomorrow’s monday so yknow feel free to drop by_

_and also fuck you i can move my legs just fine_

He stops typing to flex his right leg, then his left. His muscles ache and he knows he’ll be wobbly at first but he continues telling Geoff off anyway.

_so suck a dick_

_and love you too_

He swings himself to the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath and getting up slowly. Once righted he pulls on some boxers and makes his way into the kitchen, where he assumes the present will be.

Although “the table” was vague, Michael congratulates himself on solving the message, spotting the plate on one of the placemats. He walks over and picks up a bagel with what looks like bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato inside.

His stomach grumbles and he takes a seat, eagerly digging into the breakfast Geoff had left him. Between bites he uses his free hand to check the other message on his phone. 

_Get on XBL later I wanna co op for this one achievement and Ry says hi_

Michael types out his response, chewing on a piece of tomato as he thumbs the letters out quickly.

_why can’t he play w/u?_

_and hi rye_

The bubble pops up to show that Ray’s typing a response so Michael waits instead of closing the messaging app.

_he says he’d rather cuddle_

Michael rolls his eyes and can’t help but smile. They’re too fucking sappy. Even though Geoff calls him baby and is sweet sometimes, they’re much less married couple-y than Ray and Ryan.

The two act like they’ve been dating longer than him and Geoff. Which is untrue because there’s a three month difference.

_fine w/ever rub dicks w your boyfriend while i get online_

Ray's message comes in almost as soon as he sends his. 

_way ahead of you bro_

Michael finishes off the bagel, putting his dish in the sink to clean later and walks into the living room. He hits the button on his console to boot it up and takes a seat on the couch two steps behind him.

Propping his feet up, he stretches his arms and rolls his wrists to warm himself up. His hands were prone to cramps after too long of playing but they should get through whatever the achievement is fairly quickly.

Ray shoots a call through and Michael leans forward to grab his headset before answering the call.

“Hey,” Ray greets as Michael pulls the headset on. He doesn’t even get to answer before Ray continues.

“Alright so for this achievement…”

 

It only takes about around an hour and once Ryan interrupts the conversation for a third time they decide to call it quits. “Alright I think I’m gonna go. Got some stuff to do, y’know,” Michael says, moving the controls around to hover over the exit button.

“Yeah, sure man. Thanks again and see you tomorrow,” Ray says. Michael echoes Ryan’s goodbye in the background and quits out of the game. 

He shuts off his xbox and stands up, stretching his back out. He doesn’t really have anything to do but looking around he decides to tidy up a bit. Picking up some junk off the floor he feels the beginnings of a headache coming on and groans. He walks over and shuts the blinds before throwing the garbage into the bin in the kitchen.

Now that it’s darker he feels better. He cleans the dishes that he’d left previously and then moves into the bedroom to mess around on his pc for a bit. It’s an appreciatively boring lazy day off before work tomorrow.

 

Ray groans at the sound of his... second alarm. He’s slept through the first one enough times to know to set a second. Ray sits up and checks the time; eight eighteen. He has to be at work for nine, which leaves him like twenty minutes to shower and pick up something to eat.

Ryan, as if sensing his discomfort, sits up beside him and rubs Ray’s shoulder. “I can make something for breakfast if you want but I have to leave right after.”

It’s exactly what Ray was hoping to hear, for the most part and he slumps over onto his boyfriend in thanks. “That would be perfect.”

Ryan smiles and pats Ray’s head before pulling Ray with him into a standing position. He retreats to the kitchen while Ray gets undressed and into the shower.

Ryan slips out quietly after he’s left a plate of toasted pb&j, a granola bar and a glass of water. Listen, he didn’t have a lot to work with. It’s Ray’s place after all.

When Ray gets out of the shower he changes quickly into some jeans and a black button down before rushing into the kitchen to grab his breakfast. It’s not his usual attire but he has to look somewhat presentable for work. Michael would be by to pick him up any minute and he knew he’d have to eat on the road. He may have taken a bit too long in the shower, falling asleep under the hot spray of water. 

Snapping out of nearly dozing off again, he chugs the small glass of water and shoves the sandwich into his mouth. He hears the horn outside and shoves the bar into his pocket for later. Ray slips his shoes on and grabs his keys, shutting and locking the door to his apartment behind him. Michael honks again and Ray flips him off, running towards the car.

“God, Ray, just because we make our own hours doesn’t mean we can’t stick to ‘em. I’ve got an appointment ten minutes after we open,” Michael scolds halfheartedly, driving down the street.

“Gosh, Michael, just because we have jobs doesn’t mean we don’t have to go to them,” Ray mocks, “duh, but you didn’t have to honk twice, you saw me coming.”

“Whatever,” Michael says and they drop it. “How are things with you and Ryan? You guys seemed pretty good yesterday.”

“Yeah, well even though he blew me off we made up. So, I guess we’re good now,” Ray says with a shrug, but Michael sees the smile that flashes momentarily on his face.

“Yeah, I got your text about that. Weird, dude. Geoff’s super quiet about stuff too like he’ll be busy for days at a time. What even takes that long to do?”

“I dunno man,” Ray replies, even though it’s a rhetorical question. They make small talk the rest of the way. Between texting and seeing each other so often, there’s not much else to say.

They pull up to the building a few minutes later and Ray drags himself up to the door. "How come you’re not tired?” he asks Michael, who seems to be practically bouncing and wide awake.

“I dunno. Just slept well, I guess,” the man answers, offering a shrug and a half smile. "I'm guessing you didn't?"

"Nah, I slept alright just could do with a few more hours, y'know."

Ray unlocks the door and Michael follows him inside, quickly moving to hit the light switch. The room illuminates and Ray walks over to his desk, taking a seat in the comfortable leather chair. He ordered it specifically because he knew that he'd be sitting in it for around six hours a day. He's semi uncomfortable that they don’t have a security force of some sort. 

 

It’s just the two of them in the small range. It’s pretty shit but hey, people will pay good money to shoot shit so, whatever. Even though being a receptionist is the last job he thought he would have, he's not that bad at it. It's just a lot of typing down appointments and he knows how to nod along with the macho men, rednecks and teens who call the range.

"Michael, says here the appointment's for three, under Andrea. You excited to help some girls learn to shoot?" he asks.

"You know it," Michael calls over, getting everything set up. "They get really excited when we're done and remember that girl Kaycee who told me she felt so much safer after? I love that shit. Guys shouldn't be the only ones interested in guns."

"True," Ray replies, choosing not to comment on how sappy Michael was getting, but he agrees. Michael kind of sounds like how Ryan gets when he goes on about people's rights after work sometimes. He'll come home ranting about how he'd encountered a scene between his coworkers and them mistreating each other. He's got such a kind heart, Ray worries about him sometimes.

It's a bit early to get into all of those thoughts, but Ray's lips quirk into a smile when a car pulls up out front. They park and walk over to the doors. Ray shoots them his best friendly look, "hey, is one of you Audrey?"

"Yep," one girl answers, taking a few steps up to the desk. "Here for my appointment."

Ray looks over at Michael and waves him over, mouthing that his appointment is here. Michael saunters over, introduces himself, and leads them back to the area they'll be shooting. Stretching his back, Ray sighs before curling up in his seat, legs crossed under the desk. He pulls up an online site with shitty flash games to pass some time, not wanting to waste the battery on his DS when they've just opened.

Hopefully they get some good business. It's such a small building, the rule is that when they get more than three people waiting to shoot Ray will teach them either as a group of people or separately. He doesn't have as much experience as Michael as far as technical terms and explaining, but he can shoot really well. His accuracy is eighty percent, they figured out, one particularly boring afternoon.

He wishes things were different, wonders what it would be like to shoot for real.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit short, sorry! Don't worry, though, next chapter will be action packed. ;)

"What are you talking about, Geoff?" Ryan asks, trying to focus on the conversation as well as driving to Ray's place. "I want you to work for- I mean with me on something," Geoff says, correcting his small slip up and chuckling to hide his nervousness. 

He knows there's a very slim chance that Ryan will agree to help him. Ryan has worked alone since they split up a few years back. Geoff was taking things in a completely different direction, getting way too involved with the lifestyle for Ryan's liking, so they called things off. He sees the man once in a blue moon, when they cross paths. Meaning the rare times Michael and Ray get them all in the same room.

"Geoff..." Ryan starts backing up immediately. He should've known better than to call the man back. Of course this is what he wanted. Not hey Ryan, how are things? Or hey, Ryan, let's catch up sometime.

"No no no, before you go all responsible dad on me," Geoff interrupts, causing Ryan to scoff at the accusation. He's far from a father, considering he's in a romantic relationship with a male and they are both very much not looking into adoption.

"-And plus this is a really important job for me. I miss you buddy and I could really use the help," Geoff pleads.

Ryan realizes he's probably missed a small chunk of whatever Geoff was on about but he'll figure it out.

"Listen, Geoff, I'm sure that you don't need me that badly. I have no objections to meeting up for a cup of coffee or something along the lines of that. Besides, do you really think working together again is the best idea?"

"Yes! That's why I called you! What part of military base did you not understand?"

"Military? Jesus Christ, Geoff how do you get roped into this shit?" Ryan asks, both surprised and unimpressed at the situation the man's gotten himself into.

This is the kind of crazy shenanigans that immature, young criminals get into. Certainly not a job a lot of moderately experienced criminals would take on lightly.

"I need the weapons, Ry. They've got guns and ammo for days."

"So what am I there for? If I do agree, that is."

"Just to have my back. I don't know what can happen but people are scared of Vagabond. They've heard what you can do. That enough will be good, I'm sure," Geoff explains. 

Ryan hums as he thinks it over and Geoff worries his lip on the other end of the line. He's convinced Ryan will talk himself out of it, or worse, try to talk him out of it.

"And I would get a cut?" Ryan asks, considering it.

"Of course."

"Alright," Ryan says after a heavy sigh, "I'll help you out. But you owe me a really big favor next time I need you."

"Yes! Alright awesome, I'll text you the details," Geoff cries happily into the phone before the line goes dead.

Ryan sighs again and makes the next turn, already regretting the decision he's made to help. Hopefully what he's signed up for isn't more than they can handle.

 

When Ryan gets to Ray’s place he lets himself in. He walks to the end of the hallway and sees that Michael’s over and they two are playing games. They’re sat next to each other on the couch, faces concentrated on whatever game they’re playing. Ray's nose is scrunched up in a fashion that Ryan finds very cute. He steps into the room enough to get a sideways glance at the graphics and cringes at the blood on screen, to keep up with his recurring fear.

Apparently they’re not all that involved since Michael laughs at him, pausing the game as Ryan walks in front of the TV and over to the couch cushion Ray's occupying. He’s glad his acting doesn’t go to waste. Ray laughs too but can't help getting a little defensive, “nah Rye’s just a big ball of love.”

"Am not," Ryan says with an exaggerated pout, looking down from where he stands next to them. His briefcase clutched in one hand as he talks. "I can be a big ball of mean and scary.” He crosses his arms and tries to look intimidating. 

Ray giggles, reaching up and giving Ryan’s thigh a few affectionate pats before sliding his hand up to give a quick tug on Ryan’s shirt. He leans down and presses his lips to Ray's in a chaste kiss.

"Still here, guys," Michael comments, eyeing the couple. "Actually, I think I'm gonna head home soon."

"What, can't stand the gay?" Ray jokes while Ryan takes it differently.

"Ah you sure? Sorry if I made things uncomfortable. I can just hang out in the other room, don't let me be a bother," Ryan says, beginning to backpedal. He hadn't meant to interrupt.

"No, you're fine Ryan don't worry," Michael reassures with an easy smile, getting up and giving Ryan a pat on the shoulder. Ryan's still weary but when he looks to Ray the man waves it off, in a way that tells Ryan it's fine.

He watches Michael pull out his phone before finally retreating to Ray's bedroom to grab a change of clothes he's left one visit before. Once they're in hand he walks to the bathroom to change into the loungewear. Yawning as he feels his tiredness catching up to him, Ryan strips off his work pants. He hears muffled bits of Michael's phone call through the door and does his best not to eavesdrop.

"Alright, my ride's on the way," Michael says, unnecessarily loudly. Returning to the living room and plopping down on the sofa. 

Ryan waits in his bedroom for a few minutes as Michael and Ray discuss games. It's not long before there's a knock at the door. It's a little fast for the short amount of time that has passed since the call was placed and Ryan wonders if the person picking up Michael was already on their way when he called.

Ryan walks out into the small hallway and almost laughs out loud at the man twirling his mustache at Ray's door. Geoff peeks around Michael and Ray to see who's laughing and breaks into a grin when he sees Ryan.

"Long time no see," Geoff greets as Ryan walks up to the group of them. Geoff throws an arm around the man and gives his back a pat, Ryan mirroring the action.

"How long has it been since you guys last met? Four months? Five?" Ray asks, firing off question after question. He's clearly just as pleased as Michael, watching their boyfriends share a hug. 

"Yeah, we really need to double date again. That shit's the bomb. Geoff what's your schedule looking like next week? Ryan, you too, Michael adds, lengthening the list of answers for Geoff and Ryan to get to. The two men pull out of the hug and Geoff throws an arm around Ray, "one for you too, buddy," he says, giving Ray a brief side hug.

It's a bit odd that he and Michael have been dating their significant others for a good amount of time, only for them to meet so rarely. It wasn't for lack of trying either, but every time they had tried to set something up, there was always an excuse for someone to bail, Ray realizes.

"Um, a bit busy..." Geoff starts, looking over to Ryan to finish his sentence. His look pleading the man to help him with an excuse.

"But we'll make time," Ryan says with a smirk. He laughs internally at the betrayed look that flashes across Geoff's face before he's smiling again. This can be his way of getting back at Geoff for roping him into his mission.

"Anything for my favorite James Dean lookalike," Geoff says through gritted teeth and Ray and Michael laugh, missing the fake tone in Geoff's voice.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter the terms Ryan and Vagabond are alternated to represent the two different mindsets he's in. You'll understand (hopefully) once you start reading.

Ryan hums quietly, deep in thought about the tense conversation that had just taken place between Geoff and himself. The topic at hand being the plan. Not the mission, but the decision to tell Michael and Ray the truth about their jobs after the heist. 

Their boyfriends have been getting more and more nosey now that Geoff and Ryan have started hanging out. The guilt is apparently too much for Geoff to handle, and Ryan has to admit, he has a terrible feeling in his gut every time he has to lie to Ray.

Back to the mission at hand, which Geoff is ninety-nine percent sure will be a success given how much thought the two of them had put on it. A week or so of making sure they had worked out their plan and backup plans. They start out at the hideout, leaving their cars there and taking an unmarked truck up to the shoreline. It may seem suspicious but they plan on parking it near a company a few blocks away from the beach so it will fit right in.

They had gone to scope out the area beforehand, a requirement Ryan had set when Geoff started texting him the details he had organized for the heist. This made it easier to know exactly where they would leave from and where to meet in case of an emergency.

It's an area with a beachy vibe. It has the basics, sun, sand and water. Although the sand is littered with trash and pebbles, the sea water is particularly cloudy on this end, and there's giant rocks you have to climb over to even find the place.

If Ryan had to guess why tourists avoid the spot he'd put his his money on the looks or the smell. The scent was oddly putrid, somewhere between trash and vomit. He couldn't put a finger on where it was even coming from. Even the water didn't smell that bad.

It's a fairly large strip of land in length, not so much in width unfortunately. He eyes the extended sand trailing east down the coast and vaguely plans the path he'll take to avoid slipping. Geoff calls him over to the motor boat parked behind some boulders and Ryan pulls his mask on, switching into his Vagabond persona.

It's not that simple, though, so he slowly works himself into the mindset. Don't focus on anything other than the fact that these people need to die. Once they get the job done he can go home richer and more accomplished. This won't bring the team back together but Ryan has to admit it will be interesting to work with the man again. He climbs into the boat with the equipment and Geoff has them off within minutes.

As they sail off, calmly at first to appear unsuspicious, Geoff goes over the scenario in his head. Simply put, the plan is to get the boat to the military dock to meet up with a rat from the base, he's going to be giving them three 19 by 12 wooden crates filled to the brink with ammo and once it's acquired, he and Rya-Vagabond will have three minutes to get the fuck out of there.

There's very little room for error but he's confident that their confidant will come through.

 

Boy were they wrong about an easy victory. Geoff groans internally, running over the current events in his mind. 

Turns out the guy is a double rat and when their boat had pulled up a few feet away from the meeting point, he has three backup guys shooting at them. Goddammit. Vagabond fires off a shot that narrowly misses one guy by the skull. The idiot dives into the water for safety but once he resurfaces seconds later he's easily targeted and annihilated. 

"G watch out," Vagabond shouts through his mask, stepping towards Geoff's side of the boat to steady himself.

The boat rocks under them and Geoff scrambles to get his weapon, spinning to face the aft and grabbing his gun once he gets a hand on it. Righting himself, he curses when he notices another man on a boat behind them. 

"There's one back here but I got it," he says, flicking the safety off and shooting before the guy can even process that he's been spotted.

They're way too close to the dock for comfort but stopping the boat wouldn't give them an advantage anyway. As they near the wooden structure Vagabond pulls out a sticky bomb from his pocket and pulls the clip, throwing it like a splitter over to the enemies.

Unfortunately, the two men that remain are light on their feet, jumping for cover on top of the boxes. The bomb explodes against the edge of the dock, a large space now remaining instead of the end of the wooden platform.

The fucking rat, also appropriately nicknamed by Vagabond as head asshole, comes charging at them along the side of the beach. Geoff fires a shot but misses and when trying to dodge an oncoming shot, bumps into Vagabond. The man is caught of guard and tumbles backwards into the water, along with Geoff's gun, the waves pushing the boat closer to the shoreline.

The rat grabs Geoff by the arm, taking advantage of the moment. He accepts a hit to the chest as he pulls the man from the boat. They go down together on the sand but he's quick to recover. Rolling over, he pins Geoff to the beach and slices somewhere between Geoff's collarbone and neck when he lunges with his pocket knife, as a last ditch attempt against the struggling man.

Geoff gasps at the pain internally, but doesn't let it show. He does his best to stall, squirming under the man and kicking him with his legs as he spots Ryan coming closer to them, swimming at an impressive speed. Geoff spits in the guy's face and groans when he takes a hit to the cheek. That was a bad move.

The guy digs his nails into Geoff's forearm and Jesus Christ he's got long nails because along with the nice bloody stain he's sporting on his shirt, it now has matching rivulets of blood flowing down his arm. Geoff lets out a cry just as Ryan comes behind them, decking the guy as hard as he can in the temple when he sees the blood spilling from Geoff's neck. That's definitely a punctured artery or vein, Ryan decides, eyeing the amount of blood on Geoff's clothes.

He crouches down, gun held loosely in one hand, guiding Geoff's hand to put pressure on his neck. While he talks, Geoff tells him to get the fuck up, hand on his neck and eyes wide. He immediately senses the men approaching behind him, even though his mask makes it hard to hear their approaching footsteps. He swings around, positioning his gun to get a shot.The guys are armed but struggling to run and shoot, their bullets flying around Ryan and hitting the ground in front of him.

Ryan, in a fit of anger ditches the gun and tosses another sticky bomb. It's the dumbest move they've made all night, out of the two of them, but the tab's ben pulled and it's out of his hand. They're a few feet down the shore but when they see the object flying towards them the men turn around to take off.

Ryan bends down and shelters Geoff underneath his body, acting as a shield. He doesn't want to move the man's neck in case of worsening the injury to a fatal degree. They stay still, tucked near some large rocks that help them avoid some of the sand flinging towards them as the bomb goes off. 

He peeks back after a minute and the men are dismembered, burned, and bloody on the beach. Ryan huffs heavily, out of breathe from the sheer adrenaline. He looks over to Geoff and realizes they don't have time to stall, they've gotta get the crates and get out. 

Geoff waves him off, "it's fine, I'll get in the truck just get the shit and we'll go. I'm not hurt that badly, don't worry," he wheezes, short of breath and in more pain than he's letting on. Ryan can tell.

"Bullshit," Ryan says, but turns away anyway, making the first of several trips to retrieve the boxes. He calls 911 once he's on the road.

 

It's late when he drops in on Geoff at the hospital, standing outside to call Michael for his friend. He doesn't go inside for several reasons, one of them being that he's dripping wet and his mask is crumpled up in a ball in his backseat. Another because Ryan really wants to avoid questioning from people inside on why he resembles a drowned rat. 

He's locked up the crates in their warehouse so the only thing to worry about at the moment is his friend's health. He knows if he goes in to check he'll be questioned, so he stands by the pay phone, talking to Michael.

He tells him that Geoff's not badly hurt but that they're at the hospital if he wants to come. Of course the minute Ryan mentions Geoff and hurt in the same sentence Michael's pulling on a coat and slipping his shoes on.

"What the fuck happened, Ryan?"

"It's... best if I let you two talk it out. If you don't want to stay here or you feel like you can't stay home alone, feel free to come over or head to Ray's y'know," Ryan offers, adding the last part on second though. He knows the answer is cryptic but is still careful of Michael's feelings.

"What? Ryan what are you fucking talking about? What happened to Geoff? Tell me, fucker," Michael says, piling up the questions and getting increasingly frustrated.

"I think his neck has a punctured vein but it's definitely not as bad as it could have been. Just come, alright? I'm sorry it's all weird like this but I've gotta get to Ray's."

"Alright," Michael says, sighing heavily into the microphone. "Guess that's all I'm getting out of you. Thanks I guess?" He adds quickly into the phone, before hanging up and getting into his car.

The drive to the hospital is nerve wracking and Michael can't help but still be upset at Ryan. What kind of person makes such a vague call and expects him to take it well? Ugh.

 

He ends up in the chair beside Geoff's bed in the hospital. Geoff's got a big bandage of gauze taped to his neck that does not at all look reassuring, but the doctor on shift tells Michael not to mind it. He doesn't mention the fact that the patient's hair is matted with dry blood or that they found grains of sand on his clothes.

Michael doesn't know how the night shift handles things at this hospital. He doesn't know that they know about the man lying in the bed and not what had happened, but his status and importance. This is a special situation.

The doctor leaves the two of them alone and finally Michael can let his mind relax, as much as it can given the circumstances. He had wanted to roll his eyes at the questions a nurse had asked him when he first arrived. As soon as he got to Geoff they whisked him aside to talk. He told them he had no idea what happened but wanted to see his boyfriend. 

The woman apparently didn't buy it the first five times, instead asking him about the knife used to slit his throat.

"How would I know? I just got here," Michael asks incredulously to the nurse.

She nods, referring to her clipboard with the emergency medical report on it and tapping the blue pen against it with her other hand. It annoyed Michael even further when she asked him what he thought the estimated amount of blood lost was.

He'd called the doctor over from across the hall and asked him to kindly get the nurse to leave. It did the trick.

Now Michael sits quietly beside Geoff, eyes trained on the clock on the wall as he waits a bit longer to see if the man will wake up. The doctor had told him that they'd be able to go home by tomorrow night at the latest, which is reassuring, but Geoff can't exactly talk at the moment and Michael just wants to know what the fuck happened to his boyfriend earlier in the night.

 

Ryan pulls up to Ray's place and lets himself in, sneaking into the bathroom to change out of the wet clothes and into the spare pair he keeps in the back of his car. When he comes out he finds Ray awake, leaning against the wall parallel to the bathroom, a controller in one hand and his phone in the other.

"So, how was hanging out with Geoff?" From the tone of Ray's voice, Ryan figures he's hinting that he already knows what happened.

"Not amazing," he admits with a shrug, weary of just how much information Ray has.

"Alright, fair enough. Mind telling me why Michael's on his way over from the hospital?"

Ryan surveys Ray carefully. He's not upset as much as... agitated and confused. Ryan lifts a hand to run through his hair but realizes quickly that he hadn't thought to wash them and there are blood stains on his fingers from handling Geoff.

Ray's eyes land directly on his hands and his mouth falls open a bit. "Please tell me that's Geoff's," he says, worriedly.

"It's Geoff's," Ryan answers without missing a beat. "I'm fine... just- what did Michael tell you?"

Ray's eyes narrow for a moment but Ryan steps back into the bathroom to wash his hands, missing the scrutinizing look.

"He said," Ray continues, appearing in the doorway behind him. "That Geoff was sliced, with a pocket knife, just deep enough to cut the external jugg- juguo whatever juggalo bullshit vein."

"Jugular," Ryan supplies, chuckling internally at the butchering of the word.

"Yeah that. Where were you guys? What happened?"

Ryan shuts the water off and takes his time drying his hands, toweling them off longer than necessary as he stalls, trying to figure out how to drop this bomb on the poor man.

"It's a long story," he finally settles on lamely.

Ray crosses his arms and Ryan relents, dropping the towel and leading Ray by the lower back to his living room. Opening his mouth to begin explaining the reality of his second persona.

 

Ryan's mouth aches by the time he's done talking and it hadn't even taken very long to get the main stuff off of his chest. He watches Ray quietly process the information, no yelling or silent treatment, just... processing.

Ray feels his chest tighten as air becomes harder and harder to breathe. He feels Ryan's concerned gaze from the side but shuts his eyes and struggles to stay upright when the world begins to spin around him. He remembers his mother saying that a woman who lies is one who won't stick around. She didn't and still doesn't know he's gay but the saying still applies.

As his mind shoots through scenarios of him and Ryan fighting and Ryan leaving him, he doesn't notice said man trying to get his attention. Ryan scoots closer but keeps enough distance for Ray to have space to breathe. He calls out to the man but won't get a response and Ray's beginning to shake. He doesn't want to startle him so he tentatively reaches out and hooks a finger on one of Ray's.

He wiggles their joined hands a few times before Ray looks over at him and then down at their fingers. He swallows dryly and takes a few deep breaths. "Water," he rasps out and Ryan's face turns determined, disengaging from their connected fingers to bolt to the kitchen for a bottle of water.

He returns momentarily and hands the bottle, uncapped, to Ray. Urging the man to take small sips so he won't choke. Ray easily downs half the bottle with shaky hands before pulling it from his lips and handing it back to Ryan, who caps it and sets it on the table in front of the couch.

Ryan watches Ray slowly collect his thoughts, mouth opening but letting the words die on the tip of his tongue as Ray's gaze turns concentrated. Thankfully, his shaking dies down and he tucks his hands between his legs to still them.

"Please... tell me that's the only thing you were lying about," he says weakly, although he means it to be demanding.

Ryan nods, "of course it is. Everything except what my job is, is real, Ray. I would never pile stuff up like that and listen- I'm still me, alright? I still like video games, I like when we go on dates and I like cooking meals. Just because I may... dispose of people from time to time and the sight of video game blood doesn't really bother me, doesn't make me a different person. I completely understand if you want to discontinue seeing me, though. It's completely your choice."

"No," Ray says quickly, letting out a frustrated sigh. "It's not what you do that set me off Ry, it's the idea that you so easily just led me to believe you when you said you had nothing to hide. There was this thing my mom used to say and... ugh I don't know I just need time to think, okay?"

Ryan nods again, choosing to stay silent and let Ray call the shots.

"I think you should go home," Ray says after a pause and he watches as Ryan gathers his things and leaves the apartment.

The room feels much emptier now that Ray's alone with his thoughts and a shiver runs through his body. It's deathly silent and he retreats to his bedroom, crawling under the covers fully clothed and tucking his arms under the pillow. His head aches and he lies awake, trying to will his mind to relax as he waits for Michael to arrive.

They'll need each other's company for tonight.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confession sessions.

The next morning Ryan returns to Ray's. He's greeted and let in with a simple instruction to, "wait here, I'm gonna shower." 

It's not as early as he'd liked to have arrived, but at least they're alone. No offense to Michael, who probably only recently left the apartment, given the pile of blankets he spots on the couch. Shutting the door behind him, Ryan stands patiently while Ray leaves him at the small entrance. He waits until he hears the water turn on and then slips off his shoes, walking into the kitchen and pulling a pancake mix packet from his backpack. 

Ryan reaches into the cupboard and gets a bowl, working quickly to gather the ingredients together. While mixing them in the bowl, he uses his free hand to turn the stove top on, sliding a pan onto a burner. 

His plan of attack is to have Ray return to find a few of his favorite things so he'll be more comfortable being around him again.

When the pan is warm enough he pours the batter into it and reaches into his backpack, pulling out a packet of chocolate chips and dumping a few on top of the mixture.

 

Ray hears some clattering noises from outside the bathroom and wonders what Ryan is up to. Last night had felt... long. He definitely hadn't slept much, staying up the rest of the night with Michael. Really evaluating where they stood on the matter of Geoff and Ryan's secret identities. 

He finishes off quickly, stepping out of the shower and rubbing his eyes. He's beyond tired but he knows that it's important for Ryan and him to talk everything out. 

Ray grabs his clean pants from the counter and slips them on, pulling on his shirt next and then his socks. He opens the door and takes a whiff of the air, tossing his pyjamas into the hamper as he passes it in the hallway.

"Are you fucking cooking? Why does it smell like- oh wow you are," Ray says, walking into the room and sniffing the air.

Ryan turns his head and ghosts a smile at him. It's hard to separate him from the cruel vision in Ray's head, but he purses his lips and nods back. It's the best he can manage for the time being. This isn't something he can just forgive and forget, he needs time to process it.

He passes Ryan, walking across the tiled floor and to his kitchen table, stomach growling. Ray takes a seat on the right side, pulling the chair out and sitting cross legged on the cushion, knees poking out beneath the table legs.

It's a few minutes later that Ryan brings over the plated pancakes, topped with chocolate chips and whipped cream. 

"Thanks," Ray says, voice softer than he'd expected it to come out.

He doesn't wait for Ryan's response, if there is any. Ray digs in, forkfuls of pancake being shoveled into his mouth. Ryan uses his knife and cuts up bite sized pieces, taking a few onto his fork at a time. It's so strange watching him act so proper and... normal. 

It's when Ray's done his second pancake that he notices the look on Ryan's face. Dammit.

"Alright, I can see you wanna talk so..." he says, leaving the sentence open ended for Ryan to continue.

"So, I'm sorry. Again, first and foremost. And I will take care of you so please don't be scared of me," Ryan starts, unsure where exactly he's going. 

He just wants things to go back to normal, maybe head to the living room for some co-op not discuss his alternate persona when he's not in it.

"Scared of you? Please, I'm surprised but not stupid," Ray replies, sticking out his tongue before taking another forkful of pancake.

"You're taking this better than I thought," Ryan says with a small frown. He thinks back to the reaction last night and compares it to now.

"I had time I guess, to think and talk last night. I'm not like one hundred percent or anything but I kind of understand your point of view. This must be hard for you too," Ray explains, not meeting Ryan's eyes.

"You're right. I think we go together really well and I need you in my life," Ryan admits. "It's scary confessing something like that to the love of your life."

Ray's heart rate picks up and he bites at his lip. What a fucking sweet talker. Obviously he's not completely forgiven, but fuck, if he isn't on his way.

"Can you tell me the long version now? Of what happened yesterday?" he asks, genuinely curious.

Ryan launches into an explanation starting from the drive from the warehouse to the phone call from the hospital. "And yeah, you can figure out the rest from there," he summarizes, standing up from his seat and setting his silverware down onto the empty plate.

"Aw man what the fu- Geoff got sliced by Ratatouille? That guy may be the best rat chef in all of Italy but I doubt he's any good with a knife!" Ray exclaims in faux disbelief, handing Ryan his dirty dish.

Ryan laughs, placing a hand on his belly as it rumbles through the giggles. "You wouldn't think so, but I'm telling you, the little guy is a fighter."

Dropping the plates off in the sink and squeezing some soap onto both of them, he runs some hot water on top of them before leaving them there to soak.

"How did you even get into the whole murder thing?"

"Honestly? A lot of bad decisions. I only still work as Vagabond now because... It's hard to explain. I don't want to say I enjoy killing. I don't. It's just..." Ryan replies, doing his best to answer the flurry of Ray's questions.

"Part of your life," Ray chimes in. "You're accustomed to it by now. I guess I get that."

Ryan nods, motioning towards the living room where they can sit more comfortably. Ray follows him to the other room wordlessly. He takes a seat on the couch and leans back, sinking into the fluffy fabric.

"And wait... Vagabond? What does that mean?" Ray asks, processing Ryan's earlier words. "Does it stand for something?"

"No, it's not an acronym, just a word I find fascinating. It means someone who wanders to and from places without a job or home."

"Oh. Okay, but I don't understand. If you're vagabond," Ray says, emphasizing the word with finger quotations. "Then why are you with me? And why do you have a house?"

Ryan takes in Ray's confused expression and smiles, it's something he's thought about before too. Crouching down and placing a hand on his boyfriend's knee, he explains the conclusion he's come to. "Because Vagabond didn't fall in love with you. Ryan did."

Ray chuckles, returning the smile and shaking his head. "I can't believe you just said that. Not gonna lie, you referring to your separate personalities in the third person is kinda freaking me out but at the same time you're so fucking cheesy, Ry."

He readjusts his glasses from where they were sliding down the bridge of his nose. It's easy to fall back into the banter, to pretend the harsh reality of the situation doesn't make the hair stand up on the back of Ray's neck.

He wants to stay with Ryan, despite his murderous tendencies.

 

Meanwhile, Michael and Geoff are having a somewhat similar conversation. Michael had gone in to pick Geoff up from the hospital a little while ago, and now, they're at Michael's place making up for lost time. He listens to Geoff's version of what happened last night, piecing it together what little he and Ray had figured out. The two of them keep their distance, sitting across from each other in Michael's living room. Although the general situation is similar to that of Ryan and Ray's, the argument could not be going any differently for Geoff and Michael.

Michael's primary reaction, after being told more information, is forty percent _what the fuck you could kill me_ and sixty percent _oh my god you asshole finally you do something interesting_. He's not thrilled about the whole lying thing but he can't help being impressed with what Geoff is telling him.

"But I'm okay, y'know. Ryan's a really good partner. Actually, this reminds me of this one time Ryan and I robbed a Free Kenny's for their fireworks, and the kid put up such a fight I had to fucking shoot him! He called the cops and stuff but I still felt bad because he reminded me of you so I only got his shoulder," Geoff says, only realizing after that maybe he shouldn't have told Michael the part about how he reminded Geoff of him.

"I'm sure he recovered just fine," Geoff amends, attempting to be reassuring.

"That was fucking weird, Geoff. You realize you just compared me to someone you hurt. That's not at all comforting," Michael says, eyes narrowing.

He runs a hand through his curls and sighs. It's weird fighting his emotions. He wants to be more upset at the man, but another part of his brain kicks up a new idea.he mulls it over and speaks his mind after a few minutes of watching Geoff shift uncomfortably at the silence.

"So... do you have room for one more?" Michael asks. 

“No way?! Absolutely not,” Geoff replies almost hysterically. What the fuck is this kid thinking? It's definitely not at all the next string of words he'd expected to come out of Michael's mouth.

“C’mon Geoff, you know as well as I do I could do the job. I fucking teach people how to shoot at a gun range, I could handle myself on the field!”

“Michael stop you're being ridiculous.”

“No, just listen,” Michael tries explaining. If Geoff would just shut up and think it through...

“Stop. Michael!” Geoff shouts, shutting him down before he can plead his case.

His words seem to echo around the room and Michael almost shrinks. He could curl into himself at the harsh tone. It’s rare that they get into arguments and judging by the intensity in Geoff’s tone this could be a big one. Michael opens his mouth again and Geoff shakes his head disappointedly. 

“I’m telling you no, Michael. Drop it.”

Michael groans and throws his head back, hating the fact that he's not being allowed to speak his thoughts. It's unfair. He's fighting with this boyfriend, not his parents. And he's in his twenty's not ten years old again.

"I don't get you, kid," Geoff continues, using a nickname he knows Michael dislikes. "One minute you're uncomfortable and the next you're asking to join the business. I can't place what's going on in that head of yours."

When Michael hangs his head Geoff worries he’s overreacted harshly, but then Michael’s in his face, meeting his eyes in a competitive glare. He’s got an inch on the redhead, but their stares hold equal amounts of fire. Geoff lets out a warning sound, deep in his throat before attacking Michael’s lips with his own. The pent up frustration of the argument boiling over. He indulges in the kiss until Michael pulls away, face slightly softened but eyes still pleading Geoff for the answer he wants to hear.

Geoff sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. Michael’s always been one to push buttons so he doesn't know why part of him expected this to be easy. After all, it was part of the reason Geoff didn't want to tell him. Even though it’s annoying, Geoff has to admire Michael’s ability to stand his ground and not back down to a damn challenge. They lock eyes until someone gives in first, this time Geoff refuses to play.

“I’m gonna go. I’ll see you, Michael,” he says, turning away and heading toward the door. He doesn't turn around because he is not in the mood to see the other’s reaction. Instead, he steps out and shuts the door softly behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how I feel about this chapter but I'm proud of the Ratatouille and Vagabond lines.


	6. Chapter 6

It’s three days, seven texts and two missed calls later that Geoff shows up. Michael has just gotten home from work and barely has enough time to slip into some new clothes before there's knocking at his door.

He doesn’t bother looking through the peephole, simply unlocking the door and turning the knob. There's only a handful of people it could be, after all. He opens the door to find Geoff standing there, hair full of static and somehow more of a beard than the last time Michael saw him. 

His neck seems to be healing fine and Michael can't help but take notice of the dark bags that seem to be permanently under the man’s eyes. However, more prominent when they don’t spend the night together.

Geoff just stands there under Michael’s scrutinous gaze until the younger man steps back and lets him into the apartment. He walks into the living room and plops down on the chair to the far left, as he waits for Michael to follow him into the room. Michael appears a few seconds later, and debates taking a seat on the couch, but as far away from Geoff as possible.

He imagines himself completely pressed up against the right side as they sit in silence, so he doesn't sit there. Instead, he stands, leaning on the wall opposite to his visitor and crosses his arms. 

Geoff sits in somewhat comfort as he waits for Michael to either talk, or for his inevitable outburst. It’s a fifty fifty chance at this point.

“Talk to me Goddamnit! You don’t answer my calls or texts for three days and you show up radio silent, acting like nothing’s fucking wrong!”

Geoff doesn’t say anything for a minute, mulling over what he could say that would make the situation better rather than worse. He hadn't really thought about what he was going to say once he saw Michael, only showing up because he's missed him.

“What do you want me to say?” he settles on asking, tone relaxed and easygoing. Somehow, though, that sets Michael off with the last shove.

“Anything! Ugh. I don’t need you to treat me like I’m made of glass. I’m tired of this! Just because I’m mad that you hid this from me for so long, like you didn’t trust me-”

“Michael that’s not it,” Geoff interrupts in a disappointed tone.

Michael rolls his eyes, looking somewhat desperate the longer he continues pouring out his anger and frustration. 

“And I wanted to be a part of your secret second life, doesn’t mean I needed three days to wrap my head around all of this. Sidenote, ignoring someone isn’t the best way to get a point across. If it’s bad that I know I can pretend I don’t or whatever but don’t fucking blow me off like that, okay?” 

Michael’s eyes are glossy and red rimmed, his bottom lip quivering after his spiel. The kid looks so broken, that Geoff crosses the room easily in two strides, and scoops him into his arms. He holds Michael tightly and hears sniffles but feels no tears. Feeling proud of him for staying composed even when he doesn’t need to be. 

Michael shoves at Geoff halfheartedly but the man makes no move to ease up his hold. It's a good thing to vent, Geoff has learned over the years.

“I just couldn’t stand the thought of losing you to some asshole with a gun, Michael. I still can’t. You have to understand my side of things too. I wanted to be sure you would come to me when you were ready instead of making you rush back into it like everything's normal and have underlying reservations about me.”

“Well that didn’t work,” Michael says, muffled into Geoff’s clothed shoulder.

“Actually it sort of did. I mean, I feel like shit but-”

“Good,” Michael interrupts and Geoff rubs his back from top to bottom a few times, taking advantage of the first human interaction he's had in days. He lets his hand rest on the small of Michael’s back, gathering up his thoughts to continue the conversation.

“At least we talked this out, or rather started to. This is the kind of thing you can’t have regrets about, I need you to understand that. I’m sorry it took so long to tell you, honest, but you’ve gotta understand the kind of responsibility I’ve been carrying around.” 

"I get it, but that's not an excuse for you being an asshole, asshole."

Geoff smiles over Michael's shoulder, knowing he's on his way to being forgiven. "And I apologized for that," he reassures.

Michael stays quiet for a few breaths before speaking again, "I'm serious about joining, Geoff. Imagine how much money we could make together, plus Ray and I can sell the range." 

Geoff pulls back from the hug and Michael waits patiently for the answer he wants to hear.

“Okay, I can see you're not gonna let up about this anytime soon so, I’m not saying yes. Let’s make that clear. But, I am saying I’m not opposed to helping you train a little. I agree you have _potential_ but you’re for sure not ready to just jump into action,” Geoff relents, watching a grin start to creep up on Michael’s face.

He wraps his arms around Geoff’s neck and Geoff retaliates with his around Michael’s waist, pulling him closer, until they’re pressed together. Geoff breathes in the scent of Michael’s hoodie, bunched up and covering his face because of the angle.

He smells like axe and strawberry shampoo and every other scent Geoff has missed coming over to in the last handful of nights. He’d occupied himself with small jobs and helped himself to the booze he has stored in his kitchen cupboard.

“I don’t even care as much anymore,” Michael admits over Geoff’s shoulder, happy that the man can’t see his face as he speaks. “I was really passionate before but now I just want you back.”

Geoff pulls away enough to look Michael in the eyes and let out a confused chuckle. “Back? Michael you never lost me. I told you, I just wanted to give you some space. We’re still us, okay?”

The fact that they had both been worried about the other leaving them tugs at Geoff’s heartstrings. It’s a bittersweet feeling because on one hand, he doesn't want to think about it but on the other he’s glad they got that off their chests.

Michael nods, pulling out of the hug but letting Geoff’s hand slide down his arm and grab his hand. Fingers slotting in the spaces between Michael's own and giving a tight squeeze.

“In fact, Michael, I think we should move in together.”

 

There’s a deeper sense of security between Ray and Ryan since Ryan's secret has been outed. Not as much physically since the possibility of someone going after them is there, but their emotional bond is tighter. Ryan occasionally explains things to Ray and Ray tries to be as supportive as possible, when it comes to following and understanding what exactly his criminal boyfriend does.

“You're not scared of the police or something?” Ray asks one night. It's not out of the blue but it makes Ryan snort in response, not really feeling the need to verbally answer. The police are a joke, he’s too good at is job to give them even the slightest nudge in his direction.

"Is that a no?" Ray asks, rolling onto his side to face his boyfriend.

"That's a strong no. Is that worrisome to you?" Ryan asks after a second thought.

"I mean... what if you went too far and needed to be restrained?" Ray asks, semi hesitantly but curiously.

Ryan studies Ray's face for a moment, feeling a bit hurt at the idea that the most important person to him thinks he would ever go that far. He can kind of understand, on some level. This is all still new to Ray and he does seem to be asking because he cares, not from worry.

"I would never let that happen," Ryan answers, voice full of certainty. He wants Ray to feel safe and if he's being honest, he knows he'll never get too deep into the Vagabond headspace. It's never happened before and it won't anytime soon.

Ray's expression doesn't change but he moves in closer to Ryan. He shifts them so Ryan is on his back and swings a leg over Ryan's under the covers, letting his arm rest on the man's chest.

Ryan appreciates the hug and returns the sentiment by placing his hand on top of Ray's. It's quiet for a few breaths and he presses a kiss to Ray's head before speaking again.

"I know this must be hard for you but... thank you for understanding and... trying to stay positive. It's probably not the smartest choice to date a bad boy like myself, and if we're being honest you're way too good for me. But yeah, sorry I turned out to be a criminal and stuff," he says, trying to end his thank you on a lighthearted note.

Ray smiles against Ryan's chest and snorts at the words.

"You sound like fuckin, Britney Spears or some shit," he mutters, just loud enough for the other to hear.

"What does that mean? Is Britney Spears a criminal too? You know I'm not up to date with the pop culture stuff."

Ray chuckles, explaining the reference. "No she just has this dumb song that- actually let me play it for you." 

He starts pulling away from Ryan but the man groans in an over exaggerated fashion, "noo, my warmth is leaving me."

Ray rolls his eyes and grabs his phone from the table on the other side of the bed before returning to his previous position. He pulls up youtube and after a quick ad the video starts. Passing the phone over to Ryan so he can watch, Ray slips his hands back under the covers in search of heat once again.

The song starts after the video sets the scene and Ray laughs at Ryan bopping his head along to the beat. Angling his head on Ryan's chest so he can see his reactions.

Ryan glances down at him. "What? It's not a terrible song. This could be our anthem or something."

"Oh yeah," Ray jokes back, "play this at our wedding."

It's a joke and they both know it, but the fact that Ray can still think about marrying him makes Ryan smile wider than he has in a while.

"Wipe that look off your face, not one of us have even proposed yet," Ray says, fighting the smile that's giving him away.

"Because I haven't found the right line... or the right ring," Ryan bounces back, looking back at the video.

"Well maybe I'll be the one proposing... and I'll say Ryan, I know this type of love isn't rational, it's physical, so would you kindly ejaculate inside me and take my hand in marriage."

Ryan blushes hard, dropping the phone onto the sheets and coughing out a laugh as he chokes on air. 

Ray joins in on the giggles, "get it? Cause I'll do it when we're banging." 

Ryan speaks quickly as he struggles to catch his breath, "Jesus Christ, no. Please don't ever phrase it like that again."

"Please take my hand in marriage... and spum in my bum," Ray tries again, shit eating grin on his face.

"Not any better," Ryan returns just as quickly, handing Ray his phone back, song paused more than halfway through.

"Aw you didn't even get to see the end," Ray says, accepting the phone and sliding it under his pillow.

"Yeah I'll probably watch it later because it will inevitably get stuck in my head. Let's go to bed for now, though. I'm cold and I wanna cuddle."

"You're just using me for my body heat," Ray counters, letting Ryan shut the light off and scoop him into his arms.

"Mmm, nah. Contrary to popular belief I do like having you around. The temperature thing is just a plus," Ryan jabs, smiling when Ray weakly slaps his chest and then presses a kiss to his stubbly chin.

It's nice to finally have the burden of hiding most of his life from his boyfriend, lifted from him, Ryan realizes, happily. There's only up from here.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the epilogue. :)


	7. Epilogue

**February 1st. 1:26 pm.**

"Ryan, why is your mask under my pillow and a gun under yours? I hope for your sake the safety is on," Ray says one afternoon, lazily making the bed after he and Ryan have risen.

Ryan peeks around the corner of Ray's bedroom door, smiling guiltily around the extra toothbrush he keeps for overnight stays.

"Babe, just because you're a worrywart doesn't mean you can shove things into random places without telling me," Ray continues, shaking his head disapprovingly.

It's not a huge deal because after a quick check Ray confirms that the safety is still on, but he can't help shuddering at the thought of, what if it wasn't.

"I'm sorry," Ryan replies after leaning back into the bathroom to spit out the toothpaste in his mouth.

Yeah we're definitely moving this, Ray thinks to himself, picking up the gun and mask. He bends down and slides them into the bottom drawer of his nightstand. A safer place for the time being.

 

**February 1st. 2:45 pm.**

They pull into the parking lot of Geoff and Michael's loft. Both Ray and Ryan can't help but smile to themselves at the fact they're stopped at one place instead of two. When Michael had broken the news to Ray that he had agreed to move in with Geoff, Ray had thrown his head back laughing.

Considering the amount of time the two have been together, he had thought it was a joke at first. Although he quickly realized the truth and congratulated him. Ray had brought Michael in for a quick embrace and gave him a chocolate chip granola bar in celebration.

The two men pile into the car behind Ray and Ryan. Michael very obviously trying to keep his excitement contained about where they're headed, and Geoff looking over at him fondly.

 

Geoff and Ryan had decided on taking them to an empty warehouse for training. It's easy to pick the lock and disable the security system, leaving them with the place to themselves. It's much bigger than their old shooting range, Ray realizes with delight. They'll finally be able to practice some long distance shooting.

They had quit their jobs and almost shut down the business but a local billionaire and his wife had offered to buy the place for twice the price. Of course there were more legal issues to be considered, but they got that all sorted out.

"Hey do we get cool code names too? I call dibs on BrownMan," Ray says, and Michael grins, holding a hand out for a high five.

Ray hits his hand and the slap echoes faintly off the walls. 

"If he's BrownMan then I'm Mogar," Michael adds, crossing his arms and posing. 

Ray catches on to the joke and mimics a similar position. They end up looking like the bond girls and only Geoff laughs along with them at the reference.

"Ryan I am so ashamed you don't get this," Ray says, motioning to him and Michael.

"Are you guys like.. that spy movie? Or oh, Totally Spies?"

Ray blushes from his cheeks to his ears and laughs, breaking out of position while trying to play off what Ryan just implied.

"Breaking news, Ryan watches a spy show about teenage girls."

"Meh, I'm sure there's worse things he could be doing with his time," Geoff replies easily, unaware of the tone shift in Ray's voice and how he's trying to deflect the embarrassment onto Ryan.

"I'm gonna go get the bags," Geoff announces after a minute or two of silence. He starts walking out to the car and Michael follows, offering an extra pair of hands. Somehow along the walk it turns into a competition of who can lift the most. 

Ray only catches the tail end of the conversation because Ryan's started pacing and it's really distracting.

"Do you even lift, Geoff?"

"Yea, I bench press twice a week. Do you, Michael? How are those noodles of yours holding up?"

Ray turns away from the playful teasing and hums thoughtfully, walking in the direction opposite to the exit. He examines the expanse of the room with every step, thinking about what the fuck they've gotten themselves into. 

Geoff and Michael were out there unloading weapons. Weapons similar and more advanced to ones that he had previously been trusted to use morally by the government. Now, he was going to become a part of...

"Hey, you okay?" Ryan asks, starting to follow behind him. He'd picked up on Ray's expression before he turned away.

"Yep, all good here Ry. You good?"

Ray's not sure why he lies to Ryan. It had kind of been an autopilot decision that his mouth made before he could think. It's probably for the best anyway. He'll get over his anxieties once things get started. Hopefully.

"Mhm. Just don't overthink this, alright? And if you need anything let me know. A breather, to talk, you name it, dear," Ryan tells him, tone as serious as the morning he apologized for keeping secrets.

Ray turns to face him and smiles reassuringly. Clearly they're both hesitant about this, whereas Michael and Geoff seem to be on the same page about everything.

"Okay," Ray complies. "Same for you, Mister over-thinker."

"Let's start this thing," Michael calls out, voice echoing off the walls and ceiling of the warehouse as he and Geoff return with a series of different sized material bags.

"You ever stuff a body in one of those?" Ray asks jokingly, spotting the largest bag of the bunch.

His jaw dropping open when Ryan doesn't laugh and simply shrugs his shoulder, head tilted to the side a bit.

"Woah, seriously?" Michael asks, walking up behind them and setting the stuff down so he can stretch his back.

"Hey, is Ryan showing off again? I've done shit too. Okay? I'm just as cool as he is, if not cooler because I'm older and have more experience," Geoff chimes in, joining the group.

 

"Oh shit, these are some nice guns," Michael comments. His eyes widening at the sight of the expensive weaponry.

Ryan chuckles at the man's awestruck look, starting to load the M24. "Thanks, they better be. We spent way too much of our savings on them."  
He hands the loaded gun with the safety on to Michael who holds it timidly. It's one of the priciest things he's ever held in his hand. Aside from gaming consoles and the rent money he pays each month.

The guns they have aren't registered, but being secondhand they might possibly exist in someone's name. It's easier this way. No tracking or anything of the sort. They know for a fact they got ripped off somewhere along the line with pricing. They're not exactly spotless or properly organized but they do have a shine to them that Michael imagines must just be part of his imagination.

Target practice fairs better than expected. The two newbies already have experience with some of the guns. Out of all the options they were familiar with the Taurus Judge and the Ruger SR1911. Even though Geoff had knowledge of their limited education on shooting, he hadn't expected the precision from Ray's sniper shots or the way Michael held the gun so comfortably he could reload in seconds. 

"Great job, guys. With some training, you two can actually be of use to our team," Geoff says, a toothy grin on his face. His arms are crossed and his posture serious, offsetting the friendly look across his features. Michael's lips quirk.

Ray and Michael are good. We made the right choice, Geoff thinks. He watches the boys take turns at trying out the assortment of illegal weapons that he and Ryan have amassed.

It doesn't take them long to figure out Ray's better at long distance and Michael at short. Ray has an eye for the slow moving, far away targets. Whereas Michael excels more as an up close and personal shooter. Geoff and Ryan take great joy in finding out the two opposing shots work to their favor.

They're starting to pack up the weaponry when Geoff suggests a gas station robbery as their first crime. "Just to test things out, see our dynamic as a team."

Ray panics a little. "So soon?"

"Well after maybe one or two more practices if you're not feeling up to it... yet. You know Ryan and I will be there, right? We've all got each other's backs."

Ray's face flushes and he feels like a child, scared to cross the road without holding his mother's hand. Until Michael steps beside him, shoulder to shoulder. The man crosses his arms and comes to Ray's defense.

"Yeah, see, I'm gonna have to agree with Ray on this one. We don't want to jump into anything too early. It's risky, y'know? What if one of us forgets to unclip the safety? Or we go and find out one or both of us can't stick to the plan under pressure. You need to think about stuff like that, guys."

Ryan smiles and nods thoughtfully while Geoff's mouth opens and closes like a fish a few times. "That's my boy," he finally ends up saying, looking on with the expression of a proud father. He grabs Michael by the forearm and tugs him closer, to give him a big hug.

He squeezes him tightly and Ray sees the blush spread across Michael's face. Eyebrows raising and then relaxing into the embrace. Ray turns to Ryan who cocks his head at the hugging couple and makes a motion of an air hug. Ray grins and motions for him to go first.

Ryan moves in, adding a third person to the pile and creating a group hug. Ray follows, wrapping an arm loosely around Ryan from behind and one around Geoff's side. "This is so weird," he comments.

"We need a team name," Michael decides from the middle of the circle. Ignoring Ray's words.

"Nah, we'll figure one out later," Ryan counters. "Don't want to force it, y'know? It'll come to us, I'm sure."

 

**February 19th. 6:45 pm. Undisclosed location**

"Everyone in position?" Geoff asks through the comms.

Various responses of affirmation come back and he nods. "Alright, and we're all clear on the plan? No confusion?"

A chorus of the word yes sounds in his ear and Geoff smiles. There's nothing a leader likes more than a cooperative team. A good team equals a successful mission.

"Alright, let's do this. Fake AH crew's first mission is officially starting."


End file.
